A Song A Day

Dschinghis Khan - Rom

2011-06-28T16:12:00.000+03:00

Rom - viele tausend Yahre alt
Zwischen Friede und Gewalt
Zwischen Zukunft und Vergangenheit
Rom - grosse Stadt am Tiberstrom
Wo die Lust am Leben wohnt
Und wo jeder Stein Geschihte shreibt.

Dio - Better In The Dark

2010-09-30T14:06:00.000+03:00

Black Sabbath - Heaven And Hell

2010-09-29T17:13:00.000+03:00

From the first Black Sabbath album after Ozzy Osbourne was fired from the band and the first album featuring Ronnie James Dio, who also wrote the lyrics for the song.

Ronnie James Dio himself cited it was his over-all personal favorite song of his career, the one that he feels most proud of.

Accept - Russian Roulette

2010-09-22T13:35:00.000+03:00

From the 1986 album with the same name as the song. The album's title and front cover as an expression of the strong anti-war themes throughout the record, showing war as a game of russian roulette: "It means - go and play the game y’know, what a silly game it is. One will die definately."

Cat Stevens - Morning Has Broken

2010-08-17T14:46:00.000+03:00

A Christian hymn from a singer converted to Muslim.

Ronnie James Dio - Rainbow In The Dark

2010-08-04T17:13:00.000+03:00

"Rainbow in the Dark" was the second single released by heavy metal band Dio, appearing on their 1983 LP, Holy Diver.

Ronnie James Dio said in a 2005 interview that he was displeased with the song, considering it to sound too much like pop music. He said that after the recording was finished he took a razor blade and declared his intention to destroy the tape. However, the other members of the band talked him out of it. Despite Ronnie's thoughts about the song, he still thanked the band for talking him out of it.

In a VH1 documentary, Dio also stated that the lyrics reflected his feelings after leaving Black Sabbath, as he felt alone and rejected, hence a "Rainbow in the Dark". It should also be noted that the title may refer to Dio's other band, Rainbow.

Led Zeppelin - Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp

2010-07-31T00:00:00.008+03:00

Bron-Yr-Aur (Welsh for "golden hill", "breast of the gold" or "hill of the gold") is an 18th century cottage in South Snowdonia, Wales, best known for its association with English rock band Led Zeppelin.

The cottage was used by the family of Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant during the 1950s as a holiday home. In 1970, Plant and guitarist Jimmy Page spent time there after a long and gruelling concert tour of the United States. Though the cottage had no running water or electricity, they used it as a retreat to write and record some of their third album, Led Zeppelin III.

Mettallica - Orion

2010-07-30T13:53:00.000+03:00

Just instruments...

Metallica - Fade To Black

2010-06-25T01:17:00.001+03:00

Metallica wrote this after their equipment was stolen in early '84 and they had to start all over again. More specifically, James Hetfield wrote the lyrics in response to one of his amps being stolen. Not only was this amp his favorite, but it was also the first amp he ever owned so it had a lot of sentimental value to him. The song is about losing everything and wondering if it is worth going on.

The song's title is never mentioned in the lyrics, although the Metallica song "The Memory Remains" on their 1997 album Reload does have "fade to black" in the lyrics.

Bob Marley - Legalize Marijuana

2010-06-12T00:00:00.000+03:00

Listen to Bob, he knows what he's saying ;)

PS: The song is actually written by Peter Tosh, not Bob Marley.

Uriah Heep - Look At Yourself

2010-06-11T00:00:00.005+03:00

From the same album as "July Morning", also named "Look At Yourself".

Louis Armstrong - What A Wonderful World

2010-06-10T00:00:00.000+03:00

Intended as an antidote for the increasingly racially and politically charged climate of everyday life in the United States, this song also has a hopeful, optimistic tone with regard to the future, with reference to babies being born into the world and having much to look forward to.

Led Zeppelin - Stairway To Heaven

2010-06-09T00:00:00.000+03:00

Is this the best song ever, or what?

Accept - Winter Dreams

2010-06-08T13:39:00.002+03:00

A power ballad from their 1983 album Balls to the Wall.

Judas Priest - Angel

2010-06-07T15:43:00.000+03:00

Nirvana - Come As You Are

2010-06-05T00:00:00.000+03:00

Just a classic...

Pink Floyd - Biding My Time

2010-06-04T00:00:00.001+03:00

One of my personal favorites...

"Biding My Time" is a composition by Pink Floyd bassist Roger Waters. Prior to the Relics compilation album, "Biding My Time" was an unreleased recording, heard only by fans who attended concerts where the band performed their early concept piece, "The Man and the Journey", where the song appeared as "Afternoon".

Lyrics talk about narrator spending his time with a woman he loves and forgetting the "bad days" when they both were "workin' from nine to five".

Ebba Forsberg - Deep Denial

2010-06-03T00:04:00.000+03:00

A self-taught musician, Swedish singer and actress Ebba Forsberg brings refreshing depth to haunting musical tales that reflect times of confusion and exploration. Her voice is strong, defiant with a touch of innocence.

Fleetwood Mac - Black Magic Woman

2010-06-02T00:00:00.002+03:00

"Black Magic Woman" is a song written by Peter Green that first appeared as a Fleetwood Mac single in various countries in 1968, subsequently appearing on the 1969 Fleetwood Mac compilation albums.

It became a classic hit by Santana and sung by Gregg Rolie in 1970 after appearing on their Abraxas album, becoming more closely associated with Santana than Fleetwood Mac. However, here's the original version.

Kings Of Leon - Sex On Fire

2010-06-01T00:00:00.000+03:00

Kings Of Leon's percussionist, Nathan Followil, explained that the band never intended the song to be named "Sex on Fire".

"They were totally different lyrics. Depending on whether a song starts with a melody or starts with lyrics, you know if it starts with a melody you just keep playing the melody over and over until you get it down and just throw in any lyrics that fit the verbal flow. It was actually going to be "Set Us on Fire", but one of the sound mixers in the studio walked in as we were playing and said, "Sex on Fire", huh?" And it just kind of became a running joke, and we stuck with it.".

Nathan also said that some lyrics tried were "Socks on Fire", "Snatch on Fire" and "Cocks on Fire".

AC/DC - Ride On

2010-05-21T00:53:00.000+03:00

It's about the solo...

Cat Stevens - Wild World

2010-05-20T01:21:00.001+03:00

Stevens developed a relationship with a young American girl, Patti D'Arbanville, and the two were a pair throughout a period of two years or so. During that time, he wrote several songs about her, including the hit song "Wild World."

The song is in the form of the singer's words to his departing lover, inspired by the end of their romance. Stevens later recalled to Mojo Magazine: "It was one of those chord sequences that's very common in Spanish music. I turned it around and came up with that theme- which is a recurring theme in my work- which is to do with leaving, the sadness of leaving, and the anticipation of what lies beyond."

The Beatles - Hello, Goodbye

2010-05-19T00:00:00.003+03:00

Paul McCartney wrote this. His friend Alistair Taylor, who was visiting McCartney, asked Paul one day how he wrote his many songs, and how he came up with his ideas. Paul took him into his dining room to give him a demonstration of his hand-carved harmonium. As an experiment, Paul asked Taylor to shout out the opposite of whatever he sang, such as black and white, yes and no, hello and goodbye, etc. From this, the song was born.

The ending where all The Beatles sing, "Hela, hey, aloha," was improvised in the studio.

Dio - The Last In Line

2010-05-18T00:00:00.000+03:00

A tribute to Ronnie James Dio who passed away two days ago.

AC/DC - For Those About To Rock

2010-05-17T00:00:00.000+03:00

We salute you!

The name of the album was inspired by a book Angus Young read, entitled For Those About To Die, We Salute You, about Roman gladiators. The gladiators' final words to the emperor were "Ave Caesar morituri te salutant" - or, "Hail Caesar, we who are about to die, salute you."

Accept - Balls To The Wall

2010-05-15T00:00:00.000+03:00

"Balls to the Wall" was the lead single from Accept's fifth studio album with the same name.

Asked about the meaning of the song, guitarist Wolf Hoffmann replied:
"We've always been interested in politics and in human rights and things like that, so a lot of the lyrics that we had in those days, and to the end actually, were dealing with human rights, for instance, and that's really what "Balls To The Wall" is all about: 'One day the tortured will stand up and kick some ass!'"

Liquid Tension Experiment - Acid Rain

2010-05-14T00:00:00.001+03:00

Liquid Tension Experiment is an instrumental progressive rock/metal band, founded by Dream Theater's drummer Mike Portnoy in 1997.

"Acid Rain", the album's opening track, was in fact the last song to be written and recorded. For this song Petrucci used a seven-string guitar.

Black Sabbath - War Pigs

2010-05-13T00:00:00.000+03:00

"War Pigs" is an anti-war song by British heavy metal band Black Sabbath from their 1970 album, Paranoid. The band members wrote the song in protest to the Vietnam War. This is one of many Black Sabbath songs that is often misinterpreted as evil. The song speaks out against the horrors of war.

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - Ohio

2010-05-12T00:00:00.000+03:00

"Ohio" is a protest song written and composed by Neil Young in reaction to the Kent State shootings of May 4, 1970, and performed by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.

The lyrics help evoke the turbulent mood of horror, outrage and shock in the wake of the shootings, especially the line "four dead in Ohio," repeated throughout the song. "Tin soldiers and Nixon coming" refers to the Ohio National Guardsmen who killed the student protesters and Young's attribution of their deaths to the President of the United States, Richard Nixon. Crosby once stated that Young keeping Nixon's name in the lyrics was "the bravest thing I ever heard."

Tenacious D - Tribute

2010-05-11T00:00:00.000+03:00

"Tribute" is a tribute to "The Greatest Song in the World", which Tenacious D themselves came up with, but have since forgotten.

During earlier performances of this song Kyle Gass played the opening to "Stairway to Heaven". The two songs are both in A minor and have very similar chord progressions, and critics have said the songs sound alike.

Given the "Stairway to Heaven" interlude in the original TV series version, it might be suggesting the best song in the world is indeed that song, but the lyrics make clear that the song Tenacious D is playing sounds nothing like the song they came up with to please the demon (specifically, "This is not / The greatest song in the world, no / This is just a tribute").

In an interview the band claimed that the inspiration from the song came after Jack Black played Metallica's "One" for Kyle Gass, describing it as "the best song in the world", leading to a failed attempt to themselves write an even better song, and a discussion of the meaninglessness of labeling any song that way.

Blue Öyster Cult - (Don't Fear) The Reaper

2010-05-10T00:00:00.000+03:00

"(Don't Fear) The Reaper" is a song by the rock band Blue Öyster Cult from their 1976 album, Agents of Fortune.

The reaper is a reference to the Grim Reaper, a traditional symbol of death in European folklore. Moreover, songs and poetry pairing "Death and the Maiden" date back from before the Middle Ages. Lyrics such as "Romeo and Juliet are together in eternity" have led many listeners to interpret the song to be about a murder-suicide pact, but song-writer and lead-guitarist Dharma says the song is about eternal love, not death.

Bad Company - Bad Company

2010-05-09T00:00:00.000+03:00

"Bad Company" is a song from the band Bad Company's album Bad Company. It is one of the few songs where the artist, album and song names are the same (another example is Black Sabbath).

Timothy McVeigh, the terrorist responsible for the April 19, 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, was quoted as saying as he fled the site of the bombing that he thought of a specific "Bad Company" lyric, "...dirty for dirty," heard towards the end of the song. ;;)

The Wallflowers - One Headlight

2010-05-08T00:00:00.000+03:00

a fragmentary story about a former friend and her death, and the singer's emotions in the aftermath. The use of strong words and images and the incomplete story have resulted in many different interpretations of the song, which include suicide, drug abuse, death of a lover, and depression.

Jakob Dylan, the lead singer and songwriter of The Wallflowers, has said that the song is about "the death of ideas" and that the many metaphors and images in the lyrics were not meant to be taken literally.

Iron Maiden - Fear Of The Dark

2010-05-07T00:00:00.002+03:00

A classic, written by Steve Harris, bass player and Maiden's main songwriter.

When Iron Maiden plays this song live the crowd sings along and is sometimes even louder than the band itself. A good example is the performance at Rock In Rio when a crowd of 250,000 people sang during the intro, before and after the guitar solo.

Now, this is how they sound live:

You might also like: Iron Maiden - Afraid To Shoot Strangers.

Harry Chapin - Cats In The Cradle

2010-05-06T00:00:00.000+03:00

"Cat's in the Cradle" is a 1974 folk rock song by Harry Chapin from the album Verities & Balderdash. As Chapin's only #1 hit song, it became the best known of his work and a staple for folk rock music.

The lyrics to the verses of the song were originally written as a poem by Chapin's wife, Sandy Chapin, who is credited as the song's co-writer.

The song was notably covered by Ugly Kid Joe.

The song is told in first-person by a father who is too busy to spend time with his son. Though the son repeatedly asks him to join in childhood activities, the father always responds with little more than vague promises of spending time together in the future, peppered with images from nursery rhymes. While the son longs to spend time with his father, he continues to admire his father.

The chorus refers to the following nursery rhymes: Hey Diddle Diddle, Little Boy Blue and Man in the Moon.

Ram Jam - Black Betty

2010-05-05T00:00:00.001+03:00

"Black Betty" is a 20th century African-American work song often credited to Huddie "Lead Belly" Ledbetter as the author, though the earliest recordings are not by him. Some sources claim it is one of Lead Belly's many adaptations of earlier folk material in this case an 18th century marching cadence about a flint-lock musket.

Many artists covered the song, including: Ram Jam, Manfred Mann, Ministry, Sheryl Crow, Meat Loaf, Soil. The Ram Jam's version is today's song, Black Betty being their best known song

Kansas - Carry On Wayward Son

2010-05-04T00:00:00.000+03:00

Just a nice song from the writers of the much more known "Dust In The Wind".

10 Years After - I'd Love To Change The World

2010-05-03T00:00:00.002+03:00

Criticising capitalist and socialist greed alike, and calling for social change the song features a speedy, 30-second guitar solo by lead vocalist Alvin Lee. Although "I'd Love To Change The World" was their biggest hit, they rarely played it live.

AC/DC - The Jack

2010-05-02T00:00:00.000+03:00

AC/DC takes the music in their songs much more seriously than their lyrics. They often finish songs by writing lyrics that amuse them. This was sometimes referred to as "The Clap," which is slang for Gonorrhea. This song is about venereal disease. The band shared a house in Australia as they were gaining popularity there, and had relations with many of the women who dropped by.

Judas Priest - Diamonds & Rust

2010-05-01T13:10:00.000+03:00

Judas Priest's version of yesterday song, in a heavy metal manner, although in the latest years JP performs a more acoustic variant.

Joan Baez - Diamonds & Rust

2010-04-30T00:00:00.001+03:00

Diamonds & Rust is a 1975 album by Joan Baez. Baez is often regarded as an interpreter of other people's work, and on this album she covered songs by Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder, The Allman Brothers, and Jackson Browne. But Diamonds & Rust also contained a number of her own compositions, including the acclaimed title track, a haunting song rumored to be written about Bob Dylan.

The song was later covered by Judas Priest and it remained a staple of Judas Priest live concert performances. In recent years, Priest have been performing a mostly-acoustic version of the song that is more similar to the original than the heavy metal version on their recorded albums.

Aerosmith - Dream On

2010-04-29T00:00:00.000+03:00

"Dream On" is the first single by Aerosmith from their 1973 debut album, Aerosmith. Written by lead singer Steven Tyler, this blues-influenced power ballad became their first major hit.

Eminem used this as the basis for his 2002 song "Sing For The Moment." Tyler's vocals were sampled and Aerosmith guitarist Perry played guitar on Eminem's track.

Sing with me, sing for the year
Sing for the laugh, sing for the tears
Sing with me, if it's just for today
Maybe tomorrow, the good lord will take you away, yeah

Dream On Dream On Dream On
Dream until the dream come true

Soundgarden - Black Hole Sun

2010-04-28T00:00:00.000+03:00

"Black Hole Sun" is a song by the American rock band Soundgarden. Written by frontman Chris Cornell, "Black Hole Sun" was released in 1994 as the third single from the band's fourth studio album, Superunknown (1994). It is arguably the band's most recognizable and most popular song.

Mountain - Mississippi Queen

2010-04-27T00:00:00.002+03:00

"Mississippi Queen" is a song originally performed by the American rock band Mountain. It was written by Leslie West (who supplies lead vocals and guitar) and drummer Corky Laing. Originally appearing on their 1970 album Climbing!, it has remained Mountain's most popular song. It begins with the banging of Laing's cowbell and West's easily recognizable guitar riffs.

Being put together by David Rea and Corky Laing, the lyrics were inspired by an incident that happened to Laing while playing at a club in Nantucket. An unnamed friend's girlfriend was there, visiting from Mississippi. She happened to be wearing a see-through dress that evening. Quite suddenly, the power on the entire island went out, and in a drug-induced moment of creativity, Laing began belting out the words.

Bob Marley and The Wailers - Redemption Song

2010-04-26T00:00:00.002+03:00

The song is considered Marley's seminal work, with lyrics derived from a speech given by the Pan-Africanist orator Marcus Garvey in 1937:

We are going to emancipate ourselves from mental slavery because whilst others might free the body, none but ourselves can free the mind. Mind is your only ruler, sovereign. The man who is not able to develop and use his mind is bound to be the slave of the other man who uses his mind ...

Unlike most of Bob Marley's tracks, it is strictly a solo acoustic recording, consisting of Marley singing and playing an acoustic guitar, without accompaniment. In subsequent live performances, however, a full band is used.

At the time he wrote the song, circa 1979, Bob Marley had been diagnosed with the cancer that later was to take his life. According to Rita Marley, "he was already secretly in a lot of pain and dealt with his own mortality, a feature that is clearly apparent in the album, particularly in this song".

"Emancipate yourself from mental slavery," because "None but ourselves can free our minds"...

Pet Shop Boys - Go West

2010-04-25T00:00:00.000+03:00

"Go West" is a song by the Village People, released in 1979. However, it was not as popular as the group's other contemporary singles as "Y.M.C.A" and "In the Navy". The song eventually found greater success when it was covered in 1993 by the duo Pet Shop Boys. This is the version below.

Cat Stevens - Hard Headed Woman

2010-04-24T00:00:00.013+03:00

From 1970, on the Tea for the Tillerman album, his most successful album that includes Wild World, Father And Son and Where Do The Children Play, Ladies and Gentlemen, the one and only Cat Stevens, "Hard Headed Woman".

Johnny Cash - A Boy Named Sue

2010-04-23T00:00:00.005+03:00

The song tells the preposterous, yet moving, tale of a young man's quest for revenge on an absent father, whose only contribution to his entire life was naming him Sue, commonly a feminine name, which regularly resulted in the young man suffering from ridicule and bullying.

Sue would later find his father and confront him, resulting in a vicious brawl. After the two have beaten each other almost senseless, Sue's father admits that the name was given to him as an act of love: because he knew he would not be there for his son, Sue's father gave him that name to make sure that he grew up strong. Learning this, Sue forgives his father and they have an emotional reconciliation.

With his lesson learned, Sue closes the song with an announcement: "And if I ever have a son, I think I'm gonna name him . . . Bill or George, any damn thing but Sue! I still hate that name!"

The song is mostly recitation rather than conventional singing, an early form of rap.

Years later, songwriter Silverstein wrote a follow-up named "The Father of a Boy Named Sue" in which he tells the old man's point of view of the story.

Queen - Killer Queen

2010-04-22T00:00:00.000+03:00

Brian May in Q magazine March 2008: "This is a perfect pop record and one of Freddie's greatest songs. It's beautifully constructed and it's also got one of the solos I'm most proud of."

In the New Musical Express November 2, 1974, the song's writer Freddie Mercury elucidates on this song: "It's about a high class call girl. I'm trying to say that classy people can be whores as well. That's what the song is about, though I'd prefer people to put their interpretation upon it - to read into it what they like."

The Marie Antoinette quote has gone down in History as justification for the French Revolution. It demonstrates how out of touch with the common folk the ruling class had become. According to legend, when informed that there was no bread for the people to eat, she replied, oblivious, "then let them eat cake!" It is said, that enraged by this incredibly ignorant response, the people revolted. In the song, it is used to demonstrate at what level this high priced prostitute sells her wares.

Lynyrd Skynyrd - Free Bird

2010-04-21T00:00:00.000+03:00

This song began as a ballad without the guitar solos at the end, and Lynyrd Skynyrd recorded it that way for the first time in 1972. Guitarist Allen Collins had been working on the song on and off for the previous 2 years. At the time of recording, the song was only 7 1/2 minutes long, but throughout the next year, Collins continued to refine the song until it was recorded for the final cut of Pronounced Leh-nerd Skin-nerd in 1973.

Those were the times when rock singer were working for years for a great song!

Skynyrd has played this only as an instrumental since the 1977 plane crash that killed lead singer Ronnie Van Zant. His brother, Johnny, took his place. For a while, he wouldn't sing it - the band played it as an instrumental and the crowd would sing the words.

Another great version of the song was recorded at the BBC Sessions in 1975.

The Who - Baba O'Riley

2010-04-20T00:00:00.001+03:00

"Baba O'Riley" is a song by the English rock band The Who, written by vocalist/guitarist/pianist Pete Townshend. The other band's vocalist, Roger Daltrey sings most of the song, with Pete Townshend singing the middle eight: "Don't cry/don't raise your eye/it's only teenage wasteland". The title of the song is derived from this combination of the song's philosophical and musical influences: Meher Baba (an Indian mystic and spiritual master) and Terry Riley (American composer).

The violin solo in the coda of the song is based on Indian classical music as homage to Meher Baba, who inspired this song.

Uriah Heep - Lady In Black

2010-04-19T00:00:00.000+03:00

"Lady in Black" is a song by the 1970s rock band Uriah Heep. It is the fourth track of their 1971 album Salisbury. It is widely considered an evergreen.

The song is credited to Ken Hensley. It tells the story of a man wandering through war-torn darkness and encountering a goddess-like entity who consoles him. It is often praised, by fans and critics alike, as Hensley's most poetic work to date.

Phoenix - Culegătorul de melci

2010-04-18T00:00:00.000+03:00

"Omul 36/80" (The man 36/80) is a rock opera written by Phoenix in the fall-winter of 1968. The meaning of the title is: "36 hours from a man's life in 80 minutes of music".

The main song of the album, Culegătorul de melci had a video made by the Romanian Television in 1969 (first music video for Phoenix and, arguably, Romania).

The opera was never officially released in its initial state. It is recorded on magnetic tapes, in a private collection, and, possibly, in the archives of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

AC/DC - Stiff Upper Lip

2010-04-17T00:00:00.000+03:00

Rush - 2112

2010-04-16T00:00:00.001+03:00

In the year 2062, a galaxy-wide war results in the union of all planets under the rule of the Red Star of the Solar Federation. The world is controlled by the Priests of the Temples of Syrinx, who determine all reading matter, songs, pictures... everything connected with life during the year 2112 ("The Temples of Syrinx").

In the midst of this assembly line living, a man discovers what was once known years before as a guitar ("Discovery"). The man begins to pluck the strings and turn the knobs, discovering that he can make his own music - a music very different from that of the Temples. He rushes to tell the priests of his discovery ("Presentation"), but to the man's dismay, the priests destroy the instrument, saying it doesn't fit the plan of the Solar Federation.

The man returns to the cave in which he found the guitar and, during a dream, is led by an oracle to a "strange and wond'rous land" ("Oracle: The Dream") where the 'Elder Race', who "left our planets long ago", has been forced to make their home after being defeated by the priests. He "Sees the work of gifted hands". The protagonist notes that the Elder Race is still waiting to return, and take power over the Priests again. Upon awakening, he can not believe it was a dream—the perceived beauty was so real to him.

He remains in the cave for several days, becoming more and more depressed with each passing hour ("Soliloquy"). The man decides he can not go on as part of the Federation and takes his life to move on to a better one. As he dies, another planetary battle begins ("Grand Finale") resulting in the (perhaps deliberately) ambiguous ending "Attention all planets of the Solar Federation: We have assumed control." (This spoken section was created by vocalist Geddy Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson reportedly "messing around with a tape recorder".)

I. Overture (0:00-4:33)
II. The Temples of Syrinx (4:33-6:45)
III. Discovery (6:45-10:14)
IV. Presentation (10:14-13:56)
V. Oracle: The Dream (13:56-15:56)
VI. Soliloquy (15:56-18:17)
VII. Grand Finale (18:17-20:31)

The White Stripes - Seven Nation Army

2010-04-15T00:00:00.001+03:00

"Seven Nation Army" is the first track on the album Elephant by American alternative rock band The White Stripes. It was released as a single in 2003 and reached #1 on the Modern Rock Tracks for three weeks and won 2004's Grammy Award for Best Rock Song.

The song is known for its underlying riff, which plays throughout most of the song. Although it sounds like a bass guitar (an instrument the group had famously never previously used), the sound is actually created by running Jack White's semi-acoustic guitar (a 1950s style Kay Hollowbody) through a Digitech Whammy pedal set down an octave.

Meat Loaf - Paradise By The Dashboard Light

2010-04-14T00:00:00.000+03:00

An epic song from Meat Loaf's 1977 Bat Out Of Hell album. One of the best rock and roll duets ever!

Pulp - Disco 2000

2010-04-13T00:00:00.000+03:00

As in other Pulp songs, this song is based on true events. The song tells the story of a narrator falling for a childhood friend called Deborah, who is more popular than he is and wondering what it would be like to meet again when they are older. Cocker said "the only bit that isn't true is the woodchip wallpaper."

Accept - Princess Of The Dawn

2010-04-12T00:00:00.001+03:00

The ending track of the 1982 "Restless & Wild" album, Princess Of The Dawn is a terrific way to end the album, and only Accept could have turned six minutes of monotonous riffing into a masterpiece.

Guitarist Wolf Hoffmann achieved the haunting mandolin-like effect by recording the guitar at half-speed, then having it played back at normal speed. He describes the sudden ending as "an idea that didn't work so well." (for those who might think the recording is not complete)

Celelalte Cuvinte - Iarba prin par

2010-04-11T19:35:00.001+03:00

The original song, from 1984, the band's first hit. This is the original version as recorded on the "Formatii Rock 8" collection. The song was re-recorded in 2004 and added as a bonus track on the NOS album, with a heavier metal feel.

James Last - This Is My Song

2010-04-10T00:00:00.000+03:00

Although many consider this to be a song written by James Last, this is in fact a cover after another song, written by Charlie Chaplin and performed by Petula Clark.

Pink Floyd - Comfortably Numb

2010-04-09T00:00:00.000+03:00

One of the best quitar solos ever!

Lilly Allen - Fuck You

2010-04-08T00:00:00.001+03:00

The song originally appeared on Allen's Myspace page in 2008 under the title "Guess Who Batman". Despite its titular reference to the caped crusader, according to NME and Rolling Stone magazines the song is an anti-George W. Bush protest, while another source, the Urban Review, states that it was originally inspired by the right-wing British National Party, adding Allen now "feels the track is relevant everywhere now so has removed a particular target." So, a dedication for all dirty politicians out there :)

Omega - Gyöngyhajú lány

2010-04-07T00:00:00.000+03:00

Omega is one of the most successful Hungarian rock bands. Formed in Budapest in 1969, its current lineup has remained the same in the last 30 years.

Their 1969 song "Gyöngyhajú lány" became an international hit, and was later covered by Scorpions on a 1995 live release, with new lyrics and the title "White Dove" (the Hungarian title officially was translated as "Pearls In Her Hair").

This is the original version of the song, from 1969.

Cinderella - Dead Man's Road

2010-04-06T00:00:00.000+03:00

Whoa, watch out boy
Don't go messin' with your life 'cause it ain't no toy
Lord help ya to carry life's load
Don't you let it pass you by down on Dead Man's Road

Regina - Bistra Voda

2010-04-05T00:00:00.001+03:00

"Bistra voda" (Clear water) was the Bosnian and Herzegovinian entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 2009, held in Moscow, Russia and was performed by Bosnian rock band Regina.

Led Zeppelin - Immigrant Song

2010-04-04T00:00:00.002+03:00

"Immigrant Song" is a song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin. It was released as a single from their third album, Led Zeppelin III, in 1970. The song is famous for its distinctive, wailing cry from vocalist Robert Plant at the beginning of the song. More about it on Wikipedia.

Kevin Welch - Something About You

2010-04-03T00:00:00.001+03:00

From 1992, brought in Europe by the Tuborg commercials.

Helloween - Future World

2010-04-02T00:00:00.000+03:00

"Future World" is a song by the German Heavy metal band Helloween taken from the album Keeper of the Seven Keys Part 1. It is performed frequently by Helloween and Gamma Ray at their concerts, and is usually used for crowd participation, usually with the crowd singing the first verse, sometimes after the singer shouts the first phrase. Also there is a certain "game", that when the band jams, the singer signals the crowd to shout: "We all live in future world" a few times near the end of the song.

Now, the live version of the song.

Iron Maiden - Afraid to Shoot Strangers

2010-04-01T00:00:00.000+03:00

More than one of their best songs, this is a political track based on war and how governments and generals are using soldiers as pawns when they don't really want to kill anyone. Written around the time of the first Gulf War, it has been announced live by Bruce Dickinson on more than one occasion, once at Live at Donnington Monsters of Rock.

Profetul - Viata ta

2010-03-31T00:00:00.000+03:00

One of my latest discoveries, it's not Iron Maden, but it sounds quite nice.

Saxon - Live to Rock

2010-03-30T00:00:00.001+03:00

Saxon are an English heavy metal band, formed in 1976 in Barnsley, Yorkshire. As leading lights in the New Wave of British Heavy Metal they had huge success in the 1980s. However, "Live to Rock" comes from their latest 2009 album "Into the Labyrinth" and still sounds heavy!

Black Sabbath - Anno Mundi

2010-03-29T00:00:00.000+03:00

A good song to start a Monay and a new week, this is the opening track from their "Tyr" album, from 1990.

Angel Dust - When I Die

2010-03-28T00:00:00.000+02:00

Angel Dust are a German heavy metal band. Initially active from 1981 to 1990 as speed and thrash metal band, they dropped their thrash roots in favor of a power/progressive metal sound upon reforming in 1998.

Accept - Drifting Apart

2010-03-27T00:00:00.000+02:00

Pure rock!

Murray Head - One Night in Bangkok

2010-03-26T00:00:00.000+02:00

From 1984, this one's music was written by former ABBA members Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson.

Opus - Live Is Life

2010-03-25T00:00:00.000+02:00

"Live Is Life" is a popular song originally recorded in 1984 by Austrian pop-rock group Opus. It was successful and was covered by many artists throughout the years.

The song was created during a concert in Oberwart, on September 2, 1984, while the group celebrated its eleven years of existence. Recorded in a live version, the audience also sings the verses. In the lyrics, the song expresses "the enthusiastic attachment of the group to the stage".

Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band - Turn the Page

2010-03-24T00:00:00.001+02:00

"Turn the Page" is a song originally released by Bob Seger in 1973 on his Back in '72 album. Seger's version never made the charts, but an evocative live performance on his 1976 Live Bullet album became a mainstay of album-oriented rock radio stations, and still gets significant airplay to this day on classic rock stations.

The song was later covered in 1998 by Metallica and reached #1 on the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart for 11 consecutive weeks, the highest number of weeks Metallica has ever spent at the top;

Billy Idol - Speed

2010-03-23T00:00:00.001+02:00

Speed
Give me what I need
Yeah
White lightning

Iggy Pop / Goran Bregovic - Get the Money

2010-03-22T00:00:00.004+02:00

In 1992, Iggy Pop collaborated with Goran Bregović on the soundtrack for the movie Arizona Dream by Emir Kusturica. Pop sang four of the songs: In the Deathcar, TV Screen, Get the Money, and This is a Film. This is Get the Money.

Scorpions - The Zoo

2010-03-21T00:00:00.000+02:00

"The Zoo" is a song by the German heavy metal band Scorpions, written by band members Rudolf Schenker (guitar) and Klaus Meine (vocals). It first appeared on the band's 1980 album Animal Magnetism.

Schenker wrote much of the song's music during the band's first tour of the United States in 1979. When Meine first heard Schenker's riff, it reminded him of the band's earlier visit to a street in New York City, which was humorously called a "zoo." Meine later composed the song's lyrics, which contain references to city streets - most notably, New York's 42nd Street.

The Doors - Riders on the Storm

2010-03-20T00:00:00.000+02:00

Uriah Heep - Time To Live

2010-03-19T07:50:00.000+02:00

From the Salisbuty album, this song was written by Mick Box, Ken Hensley and David Byron. Byron wrote the lyrics about a man who is about to get released from prison after 20 years, which he had to serve for killing a man who was assaulting his woman.

The Rasmus - In the Shadow

2010-03-18T00:00:00.000+02:00

A hit song from the Finnish alternative rock band The Rasmus, from 2003.

AC/DC - Rock 'N Roll Train

2010-03-17T00:00:00.002+02:00

Time again for AC/DC! The first track from their latest album, Black Ice. Pure hard rock!

The song was notable for being the first song from a major artist to be leaked online legally when one Scottish fan, at the shooting of the music video in London, memorized the riff and sung it on YouTube on the 17th of August.

Queen - Fat Botomed Girls

2010-03-16T00:00:00.000+02:00

A classic from the 1978 Jazz album.

Bob Marley - Buffalo Soldier

2010-03-15T00:00:00.002+02:00

"Buffalo Soldier" is a reggae song co-written by Bob Marley and Noel G. "King Sporty" Williams from Marley's final recording sessions in 1980. It did not appear on record until the 1983 posthumous release of Confrontation, when it became a big hit and one of Marley's best-known songs. It is often considered Bob Marley's most famous song, and is his most played radio single.

The title and lyrics refer to the black U.S. cavalry regiments, known as "Buffalo Soldiers", that fought in the Indian Wars after 1866. Marley likened their fight to a fight for survival, and recasts it as a symbol of black resistance.

The song's bridge, with the lyrics woy! yoy! yoy!, is similar to the chorus of the Banana Splits' "The Tra-La-La Song".

Tracy Chapman - Give Me One Reason

2010-03-14T00:00:00.002+02:00

"Give Me One Reason" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman. It was released on her 1995 album New Beginning. It is also Chapman's biggest US hit to date.

The song is a classic twelve-bar blues, both in musical structure and the repeated lyrics in each verse and chorus. It is the story of an ending relationship, and a plea from the narrator to her partner for the partner to convince her to remain, to "give me one reason to stay here, and I'll turn right back around." At the end of the song, the partner is apparently given voice for the last line, "said I told you that I loved you, and there ain't no more to say."

Text/Image source: Wikipedia

Green Day - Wake Me Up When September Ends

2010-03-13T00:00:00.000+02:00

Released on June 13, 2005, "Wake Me Up When September Ends" is the fourth single from Green Day's seventh studio album, American Idiot.

There was once much debate regarding the meaning of this song, one of the most common initial beliefs being that it was about the events of 9/11. In the liner notes, the song is dated September 10, and it is track 11 on the album. However, Billie Joe Armstrong, Green Day's vocalist and guitarist, has confirmed that the song was written as a memorial to his father, a jazz musician and truck driver, who died of esophageal cancer in 1982 when Armstrong was only ten years old.

In this ballad, Armstrong revisits his painful childhood and thinks about the day he lost his innocence when his father died. Like many faced with such a traumatic event, he never truly recovered, and he cannot believe that twenty years have passed since that September day, thus the lyrics Like my father's come to pass, twenty years has gone so fast. Armstrong associates September with pain; he would rather not deal with anything related to the month, prompting him to sing Drenched in my pain again/ Becoming who we are"

Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here

2010-03-12T00:00:00.000+02:00

Acoustic version.

Daniel Powter - Bad Day

2010-03-11T00:00:00.001+02:00

"Bad Day" is a pop song written by Canadian singer Daniel Powter. It was released as the first single from his second album Daniel Powter (2005) and achieved the #1 spot in the U.S. and Ireland. In the U.S. it became the most successful single of 2006 as ranked by Billboard Magazine.

Despite the song's success, Powter failed to release any more pop hits, proving to be a very successful one-hit wonder.

Judas Priest - Night Crawler

2010-03-10T00:00:00.000+02:00

Chris de Burgh - Snows of New York

2010-03-09T00:00:00.001+02:00

There are those who fail, there are those who fall,
There are those who will never win,
Then there are those who fight for the things they believe,
And these are men like you and me;

Kid Rock - All Summer Long

2010-03-08T00:00:00.003+02:00

"All Summer Long" was released in 2008 as the third single from his ninth studio album Rock N Roll Jesus. The song is based on Warren Zevon's "Werewolves of London" and Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama".

The song was a Number One hit in eight countries across Europe and Australia, including the UK, and has even crossed over to country music radio, giving Kid Rock his first Top Ten country hit.

Bryan Admas - Summer Of '69

2010-03-07T00:00:00.001+02:00

From Adams' fourth studio album, Reckless, this is one of his most recognizable and popular songs.

In a 2008 interview with thecelebritycafe.com, Adams said: "I think 'Summer of '69' — I think it's timeless because it's about making love in the summertime. There is a slight misconception it's about a year, but it's not. '69' has nothing to do about a year, it has to do with a sexual position... At the end of the song the lyric says that it's me and my baby in a 69. You'd have to be pretty thick in the ears if you couldn't get that lyric".

Meat Loaf - For Crying Out Loud

2010-03-06T00:00:00.001+02:00

The final track from the Bat Out Of Hell album.

Carl Douglas - Kung Fu Fighting

2010-03-05T00:00:00.001+02:00

Yet another one hit wonder, from 1974. Asian producer Biddu asked Douglas to record a song he wrote with Larry Weiss called "I Want To Give You My Everything," and Douglas convinced him to use "Kung Fu Fighting" as the B-side. They recorded "Kung Fu" in 10 minutes, figuring it was just a B-side, but the record label loved it and made it the A-side. After a slow start, it began selling and Biddu became the first Asian to produce a UK #1 hit. It went on to sell 10 million copies worldwide.

Kung Fu movies were very popular at the time, and this capitalized on the craze. Bruce Lee was a big star.

Douglas is from Jamaica. He was the first Jamaican-born singer to have a #1 hit in the US.

Wes - Alane

2010-03-04T00:00:00.001+02:00

"Alane" is a 1997 song recorded by Wes. It was his debut single from his album Welenga, and was released in 1997 in Francophone countries and in 1998 in other European countries. It became a smash hit, topping the charts in France, Belgium, Austria and the Netherlands.

Wikipedia has an interesting page about Wes' music.

Pink Floyd - Hey you

2010-03-03T00:00:00.000+02:00

A classic from the 1979 "The Wall" album. Like the other songs on the album, "Hey You" is told from the point of view of the protagonist, Pink. Pink realises the mistake he made completely shunning society, and attempts to regain contact with the outside world. However, he cannot see or hear beyond the wall. Pink's call becomes more and more desperate as he begins to realise there is no escape.

R.E.M. - Drive

2010-03-02T00:04:00.000+02:00

This was released two months before the U.S. national election between Bush and Bill Clinton. Clinton won that one, but 8 years later Bush's son became president. When the younger Bush ran for re-election in 2004, R.E.M. performed concerts to benefit his opponent, John Kerry.

This song has no chorus. That doesn't happen very often in hit songs.